T H U 



T H U 



fame as before, the jar was difcharged filently, tliougli fnd- 

 denly ; and the piece was not thrown out of the thunder- 

 houle. In another experiment having mad>- a double circuit 

 to tlie thunder-houfe, the firil by the knob, the fecond by 

 a (harp-pointed wire, at one and one-fourth of an inch dif- 

 tance from each other, but of exaftly the fame height (as in 

 jig. 3.) the charge being the fame ; altliough the knob was 

 brought firft under that connedled with tlie prime conduftor, 

 which was railed half an inch above it, and followed by the 

 point, yet no explolion could fall upon the knob ; the point 

 drew off the whole charge filently, and the piece in the 

 th-jnder-houfe remained unmoved. Phil. Tranf. vol. Ixiv. 

 part i. p. 136. See PowTS, in Ekdricity. 



THUNDF.R-i7onf, in Natural Hijlory, the fame with that 

 called by authors brontia. 



TnuNUER-iS/orm. See THUNDEK-67oa^^. 



Thundkk Bay, in Geography, a bay in lake Huron, 

 about nine miles long, and nearly as many broad. The In- 

 dians who refide near, and all European travellers who have 

 pafPid this bay, agree to call it by the prefent name, on ac- 

 count of the continual thunder they obferve. N. lat. 44'"" 

 50'. W. long. 83° 30'. — Alfo, a bay on the N. part of 

 lake Superior. 



THUNDERING Legion, Leg'io Fulminans, was a 

 legwn in the Roman army, confilling of Chriftian foldiers, 

 who in the expedition of tlie emperor Marcus Aurelius An- 

 toninus againft the Sannatse, Quadi, and Marcomanni, 

 A.D. 174, are faid to have faved the whole army, then 

 ready to perifh with thirft, by procuring, with their prayers, 

 a very plentiful fhower on them ; and at the fame time a 

 furious hail, mixed with lightning and thunderbolts, on the 

 enemy, and thus he obtained a decifive viftory. 



This is the account commonly given by ecclefiailical hif- 

 torians ; and the whole ftory is er.'graven in bas-relievos on 

 the Antonine column. And hence arofe the denomination 

 ihundaers : though fome fay, that the legion thofe Chrif- 

 tians were of was called the thundering legion before. 



This deliverance has been thought by many to have been 

 miraculous, owing to the prayers of the Chriftians who 

 were in the Roman army ; and it has been fuppofed, that 

 the emperor wrote a letter to the fenate on this occafion, 

 which was very favourable to the Chriftians ; others, how- 

 ever, have thought, that the Chriftians, by a pious fort of 

 miftake, attributed this unexpefted and feafonable (liower, 

 which faved the Roman army, to a miraculous interpofition ; 

 and this opinion, lays Moftieim, is indeed lupported by the 

 weightieft reafon as well as by the moft refpeftable authori- 

 ties ; and the letter of Marcus Antoninus is allowed," even by 

 the defenders of the miracle of the thundering legion, to 

 have in it manifeft tokens of fpurioufnefs, to be the work of 

 a man unlkilful in Roman affairs, and who probably lived in 

 the feventh century. Moftieim fums up the arguments on 

 this fubjedl in the following manner : it is certain, he fays, 

 that the Roman army enclofed by the enemy, and reduced 

 to the moft deplorable and even defperate condition by the 

 thirft under which they languiftied in a parched defart, was 

 revived by a fudden and unexpefted rain. It is alfo certain, 

 that both the Heathens and the Chriftians looked upon this 

 event as extraordinary and miraculous ; the former attribut- 

 ing it to Jupiter, Mercury, or the power of magic ; the 

 latter to Chrift, interpofing, thus unexpeftedly, in confe- 

 quence of their prayers. It is ftill farther beyond all doubt, 

 that a confiderable number of Chriftians ferved, at this time, 

 in the Roman army, and it is extremely probable, that in 

 fuch trying circumftances of calamity and diftrefs, they em- 

 plored the merciful interpofition and fuccours of their God 

 and Saviour. And as the Chriftians of the time looked 



upon all extraordinary events as miracles, and afcribed to 

 their prayers all the uncommon and fmgular occurrences of 

 an advantageous nature that hapi)cncd to the Roman empire, 

 it will not appear fiirprlfing, that upon the prefent occafion 

 they attributed the deliverance of Anloniiuis and his army 

 to a miraculous interpofition which they had obtained from 

 above. But, on the other hand, it muft be carefully ob- 

 fervcd, that it is an invariable maxim univerfally adopted by 

 the wife and judicious, that no events arc to be eftccmed mi- 

 raculous, which may be rationally attributed to natural 

 caufes, and accounted for by a recourfe to the ondinary dif- 

 penfations of providence ; and as the unexpefted (hower, 

 which reftored the expiring force of the Romans, may be 

 eafily explained without rifing beyond the ufual and ordinary 

 courfe of nature, the conclufion is manifeft ; nor can it be 

 doubtful in what light we are to confider that remarkable 

 event. Eccl. Hift. vol. i. 8vo. edit. 



Mr. Moyle and Mr. King had a curious and interefting 

 controverfy on the fubject of the thundering legion. The 

 leai'ned Dr. Lardner has collefted into one view every thing 

 relating to it of importance, in his Colleftion of Jewifti and 

 Heathen Teftimonies, vol. ii. ch. xv. feft. iii. p. 221, Sec. 



THUNGEN, in Geography. See Tie.ngkn. 



THUNOE, a fmall ifland of Denmark, between the 

 coaft of jHtland, and the ifland of Samfoe. N. lat. 55^ 58'. 

 E. long. lo'^ 27'. 



THUNUDROMUM, in Jncient Geography, a town, 

 with the title of a Roman colony, in Africa, in New 

 Numidia, according to Ptolemy. It is named Tyuidi-umenfe 

 Oppidum by Pliny. 



THUNUSDA, a town of Africa Propria, according to 

 Ptolemy, denominated by Phiiy Thunufidenfe Oppidum. 



THUP^, or Thlpp.e, a town of Africa, in the interior 

 of Libya, upon the iouthern banks of the Niger. Ptol. 



THUPPA, a town of Africa, in the interior of Libya, 

 upon the northern bank of the river Gira. 



THUR, in Geography, a river of Switzerland, which rifes 

 in the fouth part of the county of Toggenburg, and runs 

 into the Rhine, 7 miles S.S.W. of Schaft haufen. 



THURE, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Vienne ; 4 miles W. of Chatellerault. 



THUfi-EN, a river of France, which rifes in the depart- 

 ment of the Upper Rhine, paffes by Thana, &c. and joins 

 the 111 at Enfilheim. 



THURGAU, a country of Switzerland, with the title 

 of landgravate ; bounded on the north by Swabia and the 

 lake of Coiiftance, on the eail by the lake of Conftance, 

 on the fouth by the territories of St. Gall, and on the weft 

 by the cantons of Zurich and Schaffhaufeu. It receives its 

 name from the river Thur, and, in its moft cxtenfive fenfe, 

 comprehends all the extent ot country on both fides of that 

 river. Though fomewhat mountainous towards the fouth, 

 yet it affords rich paftures ; and its other parts, as approach- 

 ing nearer to levels, produce plenty of grain, with vegetables 

 and fruits of all kinds, as alfo wine. The country is popu- 

 lous, and well cultivated, containing fix towns, with feveral 

 handfome burghs, a great number of feats, and upwards of 

 I 70 villages. About one-third of the inhabitants confifts of 

 Roman Cathohcs, and in church affairs are fubjeft to the biftiop 

 of Conftance. The other two-thirds, ever fince the year 1 543, 

 have been Calvinifts. The Thurgau is a very ancient land- 

 gravate, which, on the extinftion of the counts of Old or 

 Hohen Frauenfelden, devolved to thofe of Kiburg, and, on 

 their failure, to the counts of Habftiurg, wIlIi whom it came 

 to the houfe of Auftria, which contiuiud poffeffed of it till 

 1460, in which year the Switzers, being at war with tlie 

 archduke Sigifraund, wrefted this country from him, which, 



by 



